And james parkman crosby



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A., G. BROWN & J. EUROSBY.

' GAME BOARD.

N0. 446,320. Patented Feb. 10, 1891.

\Mwwesse: INVENTEIRS.

m: NORRIEVPETERS c0, Pum'o-umm. wnsumamu, u. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. G. BROWN & J. P. CROSBY. GAME BOARD.

No. 446,320. Patented Feb. 10, 1891.

FIFE-2- 'NVENTEIRS- m: nonms versus 00., moro-Lrryao yumnamn. w. c.

I I 3Sheets Shet 3. A. G. BROWN & J. P. CROSBY.

Patented Feb. 10, 189-1.

INVENTD S.

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GAME BOARD.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH G. BROVN, OF NEV YORK, AND JAMES PARKMAN CROSBY, OF FLATBUSH, NElV YORK.

GAM E-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. $46,320, dated February 10, 1891.

Application filed March 15, 1890- To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ADOLPH G. BROWN and JAMES PARKMAN CROSBY, citizens of the United States of America, residing, respectively, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, and at the town of Flatbush, in the county of Kings, State aforesaid, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Parlor Base Ball Game- Boards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The parlor base-ball game-board of this invention in substance is composed, first, of a board to be suitably supported in a more or less upright position, and'which has painted or otherwise suitably represented on its surface utilized forthe game to be played a baseball field and the field players in their proper places; second, of target-blocks which are located on the base-ball field, one at each of its several bases, first, second, third, and' fourth, or home, and of its several fields, center, right, and left, and one at short-stop, and preferably severally marked in accordance with their respective locations, and also severally projected from the playing-surface and entered into separate suitable holes of the game-board, and either separately or in pairs, or in any other suitable series, backed by spring or other suitable elastic pressure, and adapted otherwise to be moved in and out relatively to the thickness of the game-board, in one direction against and in the other with their elastic pressure; third, of a rail-target which begins at and crosses from target at third base to target at home or fourth base, thence continues to target at first base, and thence passes on to target at second base,ter minating at its opposite ends at targets of third and second bases, and preferably projects from the playing-face, and has a projection that is entered intoasuitable hole of the game-board, and is backed by spring or other fierial No. 344,028. (No model.)

portions preferably suitably designated, as will hereinafter appear, and, fifth, of connections for and between each of said tablets and the targets at the bases, fields, and shortstop and the foul-line, severally composed of means adapted for the tablets separately to be engaged with and disengaged from their respective targets, and engaged to be covered and disengaged to be uncovered as to the game-board, and again for the tablets and targets to be disengaged by an inward movement of the targets, and on disengagement to secure their automatic uncovering as to the game-board, to be re-engaged and thus again covered, as before, all substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawings forming part of this specification a parlor base-ball game-board of this invention is illustrated. Figure 1 is a view of the front face or side of the board and the one utilized for playing the game, and in this figure the several tablets are shown as uncovered. Fig. 2 is a view of the rear side of the board, and showing the tablets as covered. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, line 3 3, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, line 4 l, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents a board of square outline and which may be made of wood or other suitable material. This board A for use is placed in a more or less upright position, resting at its lower edge A cut out along its central portion A on a table or other suitable support, and at its rear side supported by a prop-stick A, which at its upper end is hinged on a board A that covers and is held on the rear side of board A, and at its lower end rests on the table orot-her support for the game-board.

The front side A of the game-board A is painted or otherwise suitably prepared in representation of a base-ball field, with its basesfirst, second, third, and fourth or homeand its playerspitcher, P; catcher, O; first, second, and third basemen, shortstop, center, right, and left fielders, respectively, FB, SB, TB, SS, CF, RF, and LF.

As the base-ball field and its bases and players are particularly shown, the home or fourth and first bases are in a horizontal line atthe I the back cover hoard A.

lower end portion of the game-board, the second and third bases are in a horizontal line at the upper end portion of the gameboard, and the fielders are in a horizonal line above and parallel with theline of second and third bases and also with the line of fourth and first bases, and severally parallel with the table or other support for the game-board,

D are target-blocks, one located at each base, at short-stop, and at each field, and each target, preferably and as shown, is marked in accordance with its location. Again, each target 1) has a shank portion D which extends loosely through a hole D andatthe back of the game-board and between it and The targets for third base and fourth or home base are held on a flap D and the targets for first and second bases are held on a flap D each of which said flaps D and D is hung by hinges D to the rear face of the game-board. The targets for the fields and short-stop are held, respectively, on the flap D and an extension thereof 1), which extension is hinged, as at D to the rear face of the game-board. Each of said flaps D D and D is normally held against therearface of the game-board, where it is held by the pressure of the bent springs D that at their free ends rest thereon, and at their other-ends are fastened on said board, and in this position of either tla'p its target or targets project beyond the front or baseball field.

E is a flat rail-target, which is located outside of the base-targets and begins and extends from near the target at third base to and around the target at home or fourth base and thence to and around the target at first base,and terminates at ornear the target at against'the rear end of the plug E of rail target E and at its other end held on the gam eboard, all so as normally to keep the shouldered end of the plug against the rear side and the rail-target away from the frontside of the'game-board.

The rail-target E represents the foul-line, and is so marked. 7

G are tablets, which .are severally located, one at the upper, one at the lower, and one at each of the upright edges, and all at the rear side of and between the game-board A and its rear covering-board A Each tablet is a rectangular block or strip of wood or other suitable material, and it is arranged to slide through a suitable guideway or loop G one for each tablet, and severally held on the rear side of the game-board A, those for the side tablets in a-common horizontal line and those for the upper and lower tablets in a common vertical line. Each side tablet and the upper tablet has its inner end presented toward the unhinged edge of the flaps D D and D, respectively, at the corresponding parts of the game-board, and the lower tablet has its inner end presented toward the lower side of the shouldered shank or plug of the foul-line target E, and the several inner ends of the tablets and said unhinged edges of the flaps, as also the lower side of said rail-. target plug, are respectively provided with spring catch-arms ll H one H held on each tablet and the other II on each flap and on said plug.

Each pair of spring-arms H H is adapted to be engaged with and to be disengaged from each other and engaged to hold the tablets against movement on and covered lengthwise by the board A and disengaged to leave the tablets free to be moved on the board'for the outer end portion of each to be projected beyond the edge of the'ga'me-board atwhich it 7 it is located, and thereby uncovered and exposed, and all automaticallyand by themtion of bent springs H one for each tablet,

at one end held on the game-board and at their other ends each at a bearing against a rest-pin H of the tablet, which'pinsalso act as stops to limit by their abutment against the inner ends of theguidew-ays for the tab lets the extent of theprojection and exposure of thetablets,=as stated. The frontface of the exposed end portion of each tablet is marked, the tablets belonging to the basetargets with the word Base and that to the held and to the short-stop targets with the words Fly out and that to the foul-line target with the words Foul out.

The release of each tablet for its marked end portion to be uncovered and exposed, as has been explained, is secured by forcing either'of the targets belonging to'it toward the boardas, for illustrat-ion, each tablet marked Base by forcing a base-target toward the game-board, and the tablet marked Fly out by forcing eitherfield or shortstop target toward the game-board and the tablet marked Foul out by forcing the foul-line target toward the board.

In theplay of thegame of base-ball with the game-board described the targets may be and preferably are forced toward the-gameboard with a ball J, suspended by an elastic cord J held on the .boardat the center of its base-ball field, and which for that purpose is forced'by the player against'the'target, either bythereaction of the elastic cord previously drawnback sufficiently therefor, or otherwise, as will hereinafter appear.

The game is played (the several tablets of the game-board being covered) as follows: A player in his proper turn and at a-d-ist'ance from the game-board of some three .or four feet first forces asstated, or otherwise suitably, the ball toward the board ina direction to hit the target at first base, and if in three throws he succeeds in hitting that target he continues and proceeds, as at target at first base to the target at second base, thence to the target at third base, and thence to the target at fourth or home base, and if successful in hitting each target with three throws for a target the player scores a run. The player next in turn then proceeds to play in a similar manner, and so on for the whole number of players for that side and againin same succession until of course a sufficient number, previously fixed upon, of the players of that side have been put out in the manner hereinafter provided. A successful hitting,- as described, of the targets at the bases, one after another, by anyplayer counts in every instance arun for that player and the side on which he plays; and afailure to hit the basetarget to be hit in three successive throws of the ball thereat, or a hitting of either field or short stop or foul-line targets puts the player out and otherwise is tallied against him, and so, finally, when players to the number fixed upon are out the side to which they belong is out and the other side has its inning, and so on until the stated number of innings of each side have been had, on which the side that has the greater number of runs tallied in its favor is the winner. On a hitting of a target at either a base, a field, a-short-stop, or the foul-line by the ball, as described, the tablet belonging thereto is uncovered, and is to be again covered before the next play by pushing it in sufficiently to engage it, as explained.

The ball may be made of wood, indiarubher, or other suitable material.

As has been particularly explained and shown, there is one tablet for two base-targets, one tablet for the several field and short-stop targets, and one for the foul-line target. Ob viously, however, there may be a separate tablet for each base-target, for each field-target, and for the short-stop target by simply providing and arranging them, as also providing separate flaps and catches, all as has been described for the particular combination of flaps, targets, and tablet-sexplained and shown.

The game may be played in combinations of runs and outs differing from those particularly explained, and this invention, which is simply as to the game-board and its appliances, is not to be limited in that regard.

Again, an elastic cord, and as described,

under tension, may be used for the throwof the ball, or the ball may be thrown independently of it; but in any event it is preferable to tie the ball to the game-board, using an elastic string, all as explained, for the reason that the ball then will always be convenient for use.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Theimproved parlorbase-ball game-board herein described, the same consisting of a game-board A in representation of abase-ball field, target-blocks D, one at each base and at other determined positions of said field and severally adapted for movement toward and away from the board, in one direction against and in the other with elastic pressure, tablets G, severally held on the board and adapted to be covered and uncovered, and connections of tablets and targets severally adapted for the engagement and disengagement of its tablet and target and for the automatic uncovering of the tablets from a movement of the blocks against the elastic pressure thereon, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. Theimproved parlorbase-ballgame-board herein described, the same consisting of a game-board A in representation of a base-ball field, target-blocks D, one at each base and at other determined positions of said field and severally extending through the thickness of the board, flaps severally carrying a target block or blocks andv hinged on and held with an elastic pressure against the game-board at its rear side, tablets G, severally held 011 the board and adapted to be covered and uncovered, and connections of tablets and flaps severally consisting of guideways G for the tablets, engaging and disengaging arms H H on each tablet and each flap, and springs adapted to act on the tablets, all substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADOLPH G. BBOWVN.

J. PARKMAN CROSBY.

\Vitncsses;

E. P. ALLEN, G. E. Moons. 

